Life Goes On
by The Otaku-Metalhead
Summary: My own take on what happens after the end of the game. Rated M for language and violence.
1. Anesthetic Nightmare

The Last of Us: Life Goes On

By: The Otaku-Metalhead

Chapter 1: Anesthetic Nightmare (Ellie)

Disclaimer: I do not own The Last of Us, or anything from the game. This work is written purely for fun, and I am not profiting from this in any way.

I was floating in a black void, completely weightless. Shakily I came to my feet as I struggled to remember how I got there. We were in the flooded tunnel, and Joel was pulled under trying to pass through a bus. I rushed in to save him, but was swept away by the tide. Unable to swim I went under, and then... I was here. Was I dead? Was the past year a waste? Running across the fucking country? All the people who died? Riley? Tess? Sam? Henry? The horror that was this past winter? Was all of it a gigantic fucking waste of time? And Joel? Was he even alive? I took my first unstable steps forward into the abyss, brushing strands of auburn hair out of my eyes, as I heard a familiar voice call from the blackness.

"Ellie? Ellie!?"

"Joel! I'm here!" I shouted back. "Joel!" As I rushed forward to find him, I felt two hands wrap around my chest.

"Hello, Ellie." A chillingly familiar voice whispered into my ear "You haven't forgotten about me, have you?" A black girl's face appeared over my shoulder, covered in bulging veins and boils. She smiled, revealing bloodied teeth as she dragged me back into the abyss.

"Don't fucking touch me! Let me go! Joel! JOOOOOEEEEL!" The demented Riley, seemingly fed up with my struggling threw me onto the ground, where a boy around my age was standing in front of me.

"Why is it you got to live?" He asked "Why you?" I got up and frantically crawled back hyperventilating, and my back touched a pair of legs.

"Why you?" A woman's voice asked "All you do is make trouble for Joel, you little bitch!" All three of these apparitions closed around me as I desperatly tried to look for a way out, but they had closed off all exits. As they came, closer and closer, my mind once again disappeared into blackness.

_"..lli... Ell...e"_

_"...Baby girl... got you..."_

_"...Can't... her..."_

_"... Click... Raped and murdered..."_

_"...Ain't... decide..."_

_"...Chance... Right thing..."_

_"BANG!"_

_"...You'd only come looking for her."_

_"BANG!"_

I came to in the back of a truck. The first thing my rapidly clearing eyes noticed was movement outside of the windows, we were driving? I quickly glanced down and saw a green gown wrapped around me.

"What the hell am I wearing?"

"Take it easy." A gruff, yet gentle southern drawl said from the front seat."Drugs are still wearing off."

"What happened?"

"We found the Fireflys." Joel began. "Turns out there's more like you. Dozens, in fact. Ain't done any damn good though. They..." he paused for a moment "...They stopped looking for a cure."

Perhaps if I wasn't still recovering from anesthesia, I would've of argued. I knew Marlene better than this. I knew she would've never given up. I knew Joel was feeding me bullshit. But I was too tired, and too stressed from the dream still fresh in my mind to pipe up. So I just turned to the back of the seat. "I'm sorry." Joel said, and I went to sleep.

About a week later in Wyoming, the car broke down. Joel got out to check the engine and deciding it was a lost cause said "Looks like we're walking from here." He led me into thick woods, where are every step was surrounded by the songs of birds looking for mates. Light filtered through the trees in radiant streams that made it look like God himself was waiting at the end of the road. I walked in silence, Joel trying to make conversation by telling me how he and his late daughter, Sarah, used to hike in the woods all the time. And how me and Sarah would've probably been good friends, had I ever met her. We climbed up onto and outlook and found our destination, Jackson City, down below. "Ok, let's go." he said.

"Wait a second." I called after him, it was now or never that I told him everything I had been holding in for the past week. I took a deep breath and began "Back in Boston, when I got bit, I wasn't alone. My best friend was with me, and she got bit too. We didn't know what to do. She says 'Let's be poetic about it. Let's lose our minds together.' I'm still waiting for my turn."

"Ellie-"

"Her name was Riley. And she was the first to die. Then Tess. Then Sam."

"None of that is on you."

"You don't understand."

"Ellie, I've been strugglin' with survivin' for a long time. And no matter what you keep findin' something to fight for. I know that isn't what you want to hear right now, but it's-"

"Swear to me, Joel. Swear to me everything you told me about the Fireflys is true."

For a second, guilt flashed across his face as he looked at me. I knew it, he was lying. But he righted himself and said "I swear."

I stopped for a moment, my mind a mess of thoughts. I knew Joel was lying, but what was he hiding? And why? I knew better than to try to pry it out of him. So I said the only word that came to mind "OK." And with that we descended to Jackson in silence.

**Pretty short chapter, but I figured I'd use this as the prologue. It's been five long years since I last wrote a fanfiction, but I figured a game like The Last of Us with it's incredible characters and open ending deserved it. Reviews and constructive criticism are not only welcomed, but encouraged. Thank you for checking out my work, and I will update shortly. Next up: Joel confesses to Ellie. Until next time, endure and survive.**


	2. Sweet 15

**Before we begin today's story, I have pretty much changed how this story's gonna play out. First off this is not the chapter where Ellie finds out about Joel's lie. Sorry, I know I promised it in the last chapter but I decided to save it for the end as the climax. I'm working hard to make it a good one. I've also (for this story at least) axed my OC. Instead I decided to make the focus on Joel and Ellie's life in Jackson. I did this in order for the story to remain tightly focused. Sorry again for those of you who were wanting the big dramatic showdown. It's coming, I promise. For now, I hope you enjoy what I've been cooking up (Even if it's, for now, the obligatory Joel teaches Ellie *blank* chapters), and stick around for the end. Big thanks to my 3 followers LittleSlytherin, Acayaba, and Nightrise80. As well as AM78 for your critique. The fact that you guys care enough to comment/see what happens next is what kept me writing this rather lengthy chapter.**

**Things I don't own: The Last of Us, The Avengers, and the song "Take it Easy" by the Eagles.**

**On with the show. **

Chapter 2: Sweet 15 (Ellie)

"Why do you care so much? It's just another day."

"C'mon, Ellie. We've known each other for nearly a year, it's gotta be close."

Joel and I walked down the main street of Jackson bickering back and forth. It had been about a month since we first arrived at Jackson, and already we were beginning to settle into a routine. I took a job as a stable-hand between my shifts guarding. I figured it was the best way to honor our horse Callus' memory. Over the winter he'd been shot and killed by a group of hunters chasing me. The pain of losing him, among others, still seared in my mind. But I tried my best to be myself, the smartass Joel knew and loved. It took a few days, but slowly I did.

Joel, between his shifts used his pre-outbreak experience as a contracted carpenter (he tells me it's when people hire him to do odd construction jobs) to go around helping people fix up minor problems with their homes. We had only gotten a couple of days off, one of which I spent playing soccer with the neighborhood kids, they took a liking to me almost instantly, while Joel watched on. They all fought to have the oldest girl on their team until I agreed to play one game on each side. They were loud and a little annoying, but good kids.

The other day Joel took me to the library that the town somehow managed to preserve, and I nearly fainted upon seeing all the books that were just begging to be read. After spending an afternoon browsing what seemed to be an infinite number of books, I took a few home with me and read them, little by little, after coming home from my assorted jobs.

The best night was once a week, where Tommy would gather all the kids, and the adults that were not on duty, for movie night. The first movie we watched was something called The Avengers. It was a comic book movie Joel said I might really like. Never seeing a movie before, I stared transfixed at the tv screen.

"That was awesome!" I said as we walked home that night.

"Yeah, it was a pretty good one." Joel said. "I saw it with Sarah about a year before the outbreak. Apparantly her friends all were goin' on about how good it was, and she dragged me to see it." He continued, fond nostalgia coming into his voice. It made me amazed. The first time I mentioned Sarah ever I remembered the pain and anger in his face, as he told me I was treading on thin ice. To talk about her freely now, having Joel look wistful when we did, showed how far he's come.

And so our lives passed much like this day during early June. It was beginning to get hot, and I was wearing a sky blue t-shirt Tommy got for us when we told him we lost all my summer gear back in Salt Lake. Underneath I wore a black longsleeve to cover my bite. Nobody asked why I never wore short sleeves. Probably just assumed it was a habit.

Joel took another stab at the conversation we were having earlier "Kiddo, you don't mean to tell me you don't know your own birthday."

I spun around and glared at him "Of course I know when it is."

"Ok, then when is it?"

"I just told you it isn't a big deal. Nobody dropped what they were doing to celebrate on the outside."

"We ain't on the outside." He told me in an indulgent tone "We're going to live as close to Before as we can in here. And Before people, especially at your age, always celebrated their birthdays."

I looked at him for a sec, his upright posture and crossed arms indicating that he wasn't going to back down from this. Frustrated, and a little touched, I threw up my hands and exclaimed "Fine! If you must know; it's June 7th."

"See, that wasn't so hard." He chuckled as I leveled another glare at him. "And it's only a few days away."

"Don't even think about it." I said, determined not to let Joel win. "Besides, what would you do? 'Happy brithday, Ellie. Here's a pile of rags from an abandoned house.'" I mocked in mimickery of Joel's deep drawel.

"And you would make some craft from them, and hang it in your room." Joel countered right back. I rolled my eyes at this, not wanting to admit that I would. "Listen, I just want my baby girl to have the best birthday I can give her." I flushed slightly at this. I loved when Joel called me "baby girl". It made me feel like I was truly his daughter. Joel knew it, unfourtunatly, and often times used it to soften me up when we were arguing like this. Not this time.

"Fine, Joel. You want to know what the best brithday ever would be." I started in a steely tone. "I would get up. Do my work at the stable. Go home. Have dinner. And do my shift at the guard tower. That's it. No party. No presents. No nothing."

We reached our house as I spoke this. A slightly run-down, but still usuable, two-bedroom ranch-style. Tommy gave us this house a little aways from Main Street, knowing Joel wasn't the type to like living surrounded by people.

"Nothin'" He asked "Nothin' at all?" God, why wouldn't he just drop it already?

"Yes, Joel. Nothing." I went into my room muttering to myself "Why the hell does he have to be stubborn about this of all things? It's not like any of my other birthdays were any fun." On my last birthday, I watched my best friend become a runner and became cursed with a life I've never asked for. Happy fucking birthday! But, because of that I first met Joel, and here I was in Jackson living a new life. Maybe it was God's apology for 14 years of shit, but I doubted it. Either way, I still thought of birthdays as a waste of time.

Occasionally on the outside I'd see one guy give another part of his rations, or a stupid little trinket as a birthday present. Me on the other hand never really got along with the other kids in the Military Prep schools and was notorious for being a troublemaker. Riley was the first friend I had ever made that was around my age. And even then, it's not like our birthdays passed in the short time we knew each other. For me there was never that whispered "Happy Birthday", that little bit of extra rations or some necklace found in an abandoned house. All there was for me was fights with the other kids, stern lectures from the administrators, and lonely lunches in the corner of the mess hall. Even Marlene, the one who told me when my birthday was in the first place, never celebrated with me. There was always some meeting or mission she had to take care of with the Fireflys. I never pestered her, I knew running a ragtag militia group was a full-time job. Your best friend's daughter's birthday, like many other things, just fell by the wayside. Joel was the first one who ever cared, and though I put up a huge front it really made me happy. Him acknowledging it was more than enough for me.

I looked over at the dusty clock I kept at the nightstand near my bed. 4 o'clock. Only an hour til my shift at the guard tower. I dropped my stuff from the ranch down, and went into the closet to pick up my rifle. It was a basic hunting rifle that Joel managed to fit with a powerful scope, I could shoot the boil off a runner a mile away. Grabbing some ammo from my drawer, I went into the kitchen to grab some food. Leftovers tonight, as me and Joel had a huge dinner the night before, and never liked to let anything go to waste. My meal finished I gave hurried goodbye to Joel, I rushed out into the street headed to the guard tower.

Seven hours passed by without any event. Odd given how summer was upon us, and hunters and infected tended to run amok at this time of year. But I'll take a quiet night over the horrors that still haunted me in my dreams from the past year. Though if there was one thing that boredom always made me hate, it was that my mind would ultimately go back to what Joel told me in the car. And my mind would run wild with guesses as to what he was hiding. Did Joel steal me from the Fireflys? Was Marlene there? Did he... kill her? Why?

"Hey, Princess. Time fer you to be runnin' on home." A deep southern twang came fro a man climbing up the tower. "Joel's Princess" Was a name alot of my co-workers called me. Unlike Joel's gentle "baby girls", I hated that nickname. I know they didn't mean any harm by it, but it always made me feel like the guys were talking down to me when they called me it. I had traveled across the country. I had seen and done things that would drive many people to kill themselves. I wasn't a child, no matter how much Joel doted on me.

A blonde man in his late 20's came into the tower, wearing a big stupid grin.

"Fuck off Craig." I said tiredly as I got up from my chair near the window.

"Testy tonight, ain't cha." He said in a teasing tone.

"No, I just hate that fucking name. And you know it." I said, more of a bite coming into my voice.

"Alright, Alright. Sorry." He said holding his hands up. "By the way, Tommy's downstairs tonight."

That made me a little confused. Normally when my shift ran after dark, Joel came to get me. He said he hated the thought of me walking down the streets and getting abducted. I went through getting kidnapped before, but the streets at night did scare me a little. As anyone on the outside could tell you, things came with the night that made men want to rush into the nearest shelter and hide. Why Tommy tonight, though?

I climbed down the ladder to find Joel's younger brother standing in the guardhouse. "Evenin' Ellie."

"Hey Tommy. Where's Joel?" I asked approaching him.

"Had a job to do. That's why he asked me to come get you."

I gave him a probing stare "A job? In the dead of night? Right."

"Look, that's what he told me. I'm just pickin' you up." He said raising his hands signifying surrender. "How'd the shift go?" He asked as we took to the street.

"Quiet for summer. Makes me wonder where all the Infected went."

"It's been 21 years, maybe alot of 'em are dyin' off. Also, I'm sure the fence keeps many of 'em at bay."

"How's Elena doin'?"

"7 months, and about to rip my friggin' head off." He answered. Apparantly while me and Joel were fighting our way to Salt Lake, Tommy went and knocked his wife up with his first kid. "Man, becoming a daddy is one hell of a task. Wonder how Joel did it at 17, I'm 41 and having a hard time of it already."

I placed my hand on his arm, reassuring him. "Hang in there, Tommy. I'm sure you'll be a hell of a dad."

"Nothin' like your old man, though." He responded causing me to laugh.

"Yeah well, Joel's something else. That's for sure." I said smiling. We continued our walk home chatting pleasantly, drinking in the summer night air. Eventually we reached my house where Tommy said he had to run home to take care of his wife. I sighed. A job? If there was anything the two brothers shared, it's that they were horrible liers.I walked in the house and set the rifle down onto the table, and plopped down on the couch, grabbing the book I had been reading before, Catcher in the Rye. Joel told me that they made him read it in school, and he thought that it was a little boring. I, however, was liking it, despite the fact that Holden was a whiny little bitch.

2 hours passed as I read. And still no Joel. I was beginning to get worried. Being out this late was very unlike him, the old man usually passed out as soon as we got home. I put the book down when I realized I couldn't concentrate, and proceeded to frantically pace around the house. What if he got hurt? What if he's dead? What if he abandoned me? Goddammit, Joel. You know I'm terrified of winding up alone. My mind made up I went into the closet and grabbed a handgun, hoping to go out and find him. When I was making my way across the living room, I heared the front door open. A tired Joel shambled in, and I threw myself at him, crying.

"Ellie, what the hell?" He said surprised.

"You fucking asshole! Where the fuck were you?"

"Didn't Tommy tell you I was-" He tried to begin before I cut him off.

"Bullshit! Nobody needs fucking carpentry done at this time!" He stiffened a little when I said this. Everytime I expressed that I thought he was lying, his eyes would always get that guilty look that he had outside of Jackson. "Sorry, job took longer than expected. Happened all the time Before. I meant to tell you I'd be out before you left, but you went in such a hurry I couldn't." I clutched him tighter as he said this. "I'm sorry, baby girl." He whispered as he returned my hug. I regained my composure as we broke the embrace.

"You know, Joel. You know how afraid I am of being alone. Don't ever do that again." I said my anger slowly disappating as I slowly forgave him. "What job were you doing?"

"Fixin' up an abandoned house for another family to settle in. It ain't the Ritz, but I think they'll be ok in it after a few more days of work."

"More late nights?" I asked, hoping he'd say no.

"Yes." I got up to argue "Sorry, but I have to get this done." He said in a tone that told me there was no room for argument.

"Fine, whatever." I said, my anger flaring up once again as I stormed to my room and threw myself on my bed. I know I wasn't being fair to him, but I didn't care. I looked over to my nightstand and saw a photo of Joel from Before. His arm was around a young girl with short blonde hair holding a trophy towards the sky. I picked the photo and asked the pictured girl "Did you have to deal with this shit too?" I could only imagine how Sarah felt, as she waited for her dad to come home, the night stretching into seemingly infinity. Lost in this thought, I slowly drifted into sleep.

"Y'know you really should try talking to him." Tommy told me as we walked home from my guard shift. It had been two nights since me and Joel fought, and I hardly talked to him since. I would always get up, have a quick breakfast and leave for the stables barely muttering a good morning to him. I found myself ranting to the horses, while I fed and brushed them, about how much of an asshole Joel can be. When I came home, Joel would be out. Presumably to work on the house, and I was in bed before he came back. Tonight, for some reason, Craig and Tommy decided to let me off early for guard duty. And so, a whole hour before my usual midnight stroll, Tommy and I were going home.

"He knows how much I hate to be left alone after dark." I countered.

"Ellie, the reason he's up so late is so he can get the job done so he has more time for other jobs and you." Tommy said trying to reason with me. I knew he was right, but that didn't stop me from being angry with Joel.

"Why'd did he have to take that job on?" I said finding anything to counter-argue with.

"Because he's the only one who can. Our town isn't very big. Finding someone who can do that kind of work is extremely difficult, and Joel has very practiced hands."

"Did this kind of thing happen Before?" I asked him.

"At least several times a month, I reckon." He answered "Sarah used to be up all night waitin' for him."

"Didn't he care that he was away all night from his daughter?"

"Oh, he hated it." He said coming to Joel's defense. "And I know he hates being away from you all night. Listen, Ellie..." He began stopping me to look into my eyes "...Joel loves you like you're his very own. If he didn't he wouldn't of left with you for Colorado all those months ago. So try to forgive the old man, alright."

I took a deep breath "OK." I said nodding my head. With that me and Tommy headed for home.

Upon walking onto my front porch I was surprised to find the lights on. Opening the door Joel walked from the kitchen with a "Welcome home, baby girl."

"Joel? What're you-?"

"Job's done with. And I even had time to do somethin' extra." He said bringing a swivel chair over and turning it around to reveal a guitar with a towel wrapped into a makeshift bow. "Happy fifteenth Birthday, Ellie. Wood's a little warped, so the intonation isn't the best. But it's as good as we'll get."

I was stunned, Joel actually came through and got me a present. Fighting back a smile I said "Joel, I told you not to do this shit."

"But you're glad I did, right?" He asked.

Fed up with putting up a facade I said "Yeah, thank you Joel. Where'd you find it?"

"When I was fixin' up the house, I came across this guy. Found a few strings nearby, thank god for D'addario putting their strings in plastic. They're still usable after all these years. I kept it in a side room and worked on it after I was done with a part of the house. That's why I kept coming home so late." Taking off the towel he called me over. "C'mere. I'll teach you a few chords." And he spent the next hour explaining to me about notes and how to play the G, C, and D chords. "The thing with music is, all you're doing is organizing sound. With just these three chords you can write a song."

"Really?" I said a little skeptical.

"Yeah, the first song I ever learned used these chords. Let me show you." He took the guitar, strummed a few times and began to sing.

_Well I'm runnin' down the road_

_Tryin' ta loosen my load_

_I've got seven women on my mind_

_Four that wanna own me_

_Two that wanna stone me_

_One says she's a friend of mine_

_Take it easy, Take it easy_

_Don't let the sound of your own wheels_

_Drive ya crazy_

_Lighten up while ya still can_

_Don't even try to understand_

_Just find a place to take a stand_

_And take it easy_

I listened in silence as he played. I never heard Joel sing or play guitar ever before. He told me back in Colorado that he wanted to be a singer as a kid, and if he went for it he could. His voice was really beautiful and comforting, and his guitaring wasn't too shabby either. He finished the song and put the guitar down. And I got a little choked up, never in my life have I met someone who made me happy like this. It was at these times I was truly proud to be Joel's surrogate daughter. It made me wonder, is it right for me to be this happy?

"You all right, kiddo?" He asked me probably noting my silence.

"I'm great, Joel." I said sincerely "It's just... Am I allowed to even be this happy?"

"What're you goin' on about?"

"Riley. She was fifteen when she died. I still see her in my dreams sometimes, asking why I got to live and be immune while she died a horrible death. It makes me wonder, should I even be sitting here like this, smiling and listening to you sing?"

"Of course you should, baby girl." Joel said like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Listen, it's like I told you before we got here. Life goes on, kiddo. You gotta keep goin' with it, and find something to fight for."

"Does the pain ever go away?" I asked him my eyes watering.

"No." He said "No, it doesn't. You just learn to live with it. But you're here now, you're safe, and it's your birthday. No tears, no pouting. Today is a day to celebrate in our little family."

I nodded forcing a smile. "Joel."

"What?"

"Don't ever leave me. Please."

"Of course not, I fought like hell to get you here. I'm not gonna punch out anytime soon."

The smile coming easier on my face I said a quiet "Thank you." And we went on until dawn, playing the guitar, singing, and enjoying each other's company.


	3. The water's fine

Chapter 3 The water's fine (Joel)

I sank further into the couch, making a fruitless retreat from the heat. Looking outside I saw heat waves rising from broken asphalt, making it look like I could swim through air. Granted, this was nothing compared to the onslaught I used to get every summer in Texas, but it had been 21 years since I lived there. I could only imagine how Ellie was holding up, as far as I know she spent her entire life in the northeast. That area wasn't exactly known for heat. I thought for a little bit and decided to myself, if there was a day I was gonna teach her, it was today. I got up to pack a few quick things.

About 15 minutes later I heard my front door open with a teenage girl's wail of "It's so fucking hot!" Ellie walked in, overheated and exhausted from a day at the stables, and collapsed onto the floor. I walked over to her carrying the packs. Her habit of wearing long sleeves to cover her bite must've made it especially tough for her. Her face was flushed, as though her skull became a pressure cooker. And wet, greasy strands of rust-colored hair stuck to her forehead.

"Catch your breath, kiddo. We're leaving soon."

"Are you kidding me? I just came in from the fifth layer of hell out there, and I don't have guard duty tonight. Let me lie here for a while."

"No can do, I've got a plan." I said tossing her one of the backpacks.

"It better be a fucking good one, or I'm gonna murder you." She said as she sat up. Her pony tail becoming slightly undone, causing a cascade of red to cover part of her face. She picked up the pack and asked "If we're going somewhere quick, why give me a pack?"

"Don't look inside, it's a surprise." I said checking the clip of a handgun. Once I made sure it was full, I slid it into the gun and handed it to Ellie. "I'd recommend bringin' your knife too."

"What, are we going to the outside?" She asked suspiciously.

"Yup." I answered loading my revolver.

"Uh, why?"

"You'll see." After shoving a few shivs into my belt, I put on my pack. "C'mon let's go."

"Why do I get the feeling that I _am_ gonna murder you?" She said. A comeback for everything, classic Ellie.

We walked to the gates, and hailed the guard on duty.

He looked down and asked "Where are you goin', Joel?"

"Taking a little hike." I answered. "Be back in a little."

"Alright, you know the rules. Gate gets locked at sundown. So unless you want to spend the night camping with the clickers, you got five hours. Don't forget to sign out."

"Joel, where are we going?" Ellie asked as we wrote our names down on some loose leaf, obviously getting annoyed at me leaving her in the the dark.

"Remember when I went with that hunting party the other day?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, while I was out I found this really nice spot."

"Really nice spot for what?"

"You'll see."

"Just fucking tell me already!" Ellie burst out. The heat was obviously making her irritable.

"You'll see." I repeated, detirmined not to ruin the surprise.

"Whatever, you're the boss." She said rolling her eyes. It made me wonder how she survived all we've been through this past year and still act like such a kid sometimes.

When we finished filling out the sign out sheet, we were let out of the gates into the woods surrounding Jackson. I took point as Ellie followed behind silently. The woods were alive with the chirps of birds, a good sign. It took about 20 minutes until we reached our destination. A clearing with a small, but somewhat deep, pond in the center. On it's bank stood a rotting shed, probably used to store someone's fishing equipment or something. It made me remember the one time I took Sarah fishing for her 10th birthday. I mentally tacked that on to the things I would have to teach Ellie.

"Ok, we're here." I announced waving a hand to present the sight to Ellie.

"Why did you take me- Oh." Ellie started before my intentions dawned on her. She suggested I teach her how to swim when we were searching for the Fireflys. I mentally agreed with her. Whenever we hit a large body of water on our adventure, there was always a pallet nearby for Ellie to ride on. Almost as if somebody had placed it there for her. But I knew this wouldn't always be the case. I was also aware, despite me trying to deny it to both Ellie and myself, that there would also the constant possibility of Jackson being overrun with bandits or infected. If we were put on the run again, it would save us a lot of trouble if she knew how to swim.

"Open your pack and get changed in the shed." I ordered her.

She pulled out the clothes I'd packed and piped up with a voice drenched in annoyance "A tank top, Joel?" She held up the grey shirt that I wanted her to wear in the water.

"Yeah, is that a problem?" I asked, starting to get irritated myself.

"Uh, yeah. In case you've forgotten, I have a runner bite on my left arm! What are you gonna do if someone sees it?" She said, voice soaked in sarcasm. Goddammit, I really hated when she was like this. I was surprised the people at the stable hadn't decided to lynch her that week.

"Ellie. Nobody but the hunting parties are brave enough to venture this far into the outside; and the market is stocked for at least the next week. Nobody's gonna see us."

"Yeah, let's see if you say that when everyone in Jackson decides to hunt me down." This was not going as well as I planned.

"Ellie, just get in the damn shed already." She sighed heavily, but obeyed me. When she was out of sight I slipped into the shorts I packed for myself. A couple of minutes later Ellie came out of the shed, arms crossed in a gesture of annoyance, hand over her bite. Sighing I led her to the pond and jumped in. Ellie hesistated.

"It's shallow over here; you won't drown." I called to her.

"Is it cold?" She asked nervously.

"A little, but you get used to it." I replied, trying to coax her in with my arms.

She took the first nervous step into the water, and immediatly jumped out with a cry of "It's fucking freezing!"

"Ellie, you have to jump in if you want to get used to it. I'll catch you; you won't drown."

She looked like she was about to argue, but gave up and jumped in. She immediatly panicked and grabbed on to me. I noticed then that she grew by a few inches since we arrived in Jackson. It made me a little sad to come into her life late into her childhood. If I had come sooner, seen her grow more, what would of happened? Maybe she would've never been bit, and I would've never had to exterminate a hospital full of Fireflys and then lie to her about it. But what's past was past and she's was there, alive and well.

"Hello, Earth to Joel. You listening?"

"Yeah, I'm listening."

"How are we gonna start this?" She asked, teeth chattering slightly.

"Ok, first off we're going to dunk you under water to cool you down a little." I said putting my hand on her head. "On the count of three, take a deep breath and I'll put you under. Tap my arm when you want to come up." Ellie gave three quick nods to show she understood. "Ok, then. One... Two... Three." She took a huge gulp of air and I pushed her down. It wasn't even two seconds until she was frantically slapping my arm. When she surfaced I told her "You can't panic like that when you're underwater. When you panic, you flail. And when you flail, you sink." I once again placed my hand on her damp bed of hair. "We're goin' to try this again, this time try to stay calm and still."

"Okay." She said, ready for another go.

"Okay. One... Two... Three..." This time she listened to my instructions and managed to stay under for ten seconds.

"How'd I do?" She asked when she surfaced and caught her breath.

"Not bad, kiddo. Now we're going to try something different." I placed my arm on her back. "Just lay back, and I'll hold you up. One thing you gotta remember is as long as you have air in your lungs, you'll float. What we're going to try is called the back float." After a little effort I had her floating, with my arms lightly touching her. "Just stay perfectly still." I said softly. Ellie, in her concentration, stayed silent. After some time, I let her go when her eyes were closed. She floated a little ways, until I saw her try to sit up to find me. I swam over when I saw that she would probably sink.

"You asshole!" She exclaimed when I caught her.

"Hey, if I never let go of you, you'd never know you could do it by yourself. Okay, next we're-" My sentence was interupted by a horrible rasping sound, followed by three clicks. I saw the color drain from Ellie's face, as we both knew it could only mean one thing. Clickers. Sure enough, three of them stumbled from the forest, probably searching to find what the source of all the commotion was.

"Joel." Ellie whispered, trying to get out of the water as quietly as she could "Still got your shivs?" I was going to ask her what she was thinking before I saw her take out her switchblade.

"Yeah, I got 'em." I said crouching low as to eliminate the sound of my splashing the best I could. "I'll flank right. You go left." She gave me a quick thumbs up to show she understood. When I removed myself from the water, I snuck through the grass towards a clicker that was approaching the pond from the right. When I had it in my sights I grabbed it and quickly stabbed it in the neck to stop it from struggling. One down, two to go. I took out a second one, and looked over to Ellie as she was sneaking towards the last one, faced screwed up in concentration. In a flash she grabbed and stabbed the third one in a efficent manner. Apprantly she'd been practicing. It was in this moment I felt my mind split in two. One side lamented that she still had to live like this. Afraid of death around the corner, and having to kill unholy abominations to survive. On the other hand one part of my mind said the same words they did when I saw Sarah running towards me, years ago, with a soccer trophy clutched in her excited hands. It said "That's my girl."

"Fucking hate those things." Ellie said running towards me.

"Yeah, chances are there are more not too far behind. Get your things we're going home." Ellie dived into the shed to grab her bag, while I picked up mine from the pond's edge.

After a few minutes Ellie came out of the shed, wearing her trademak t-shirt/longsleeve combo. As we set off for home she said to me "Swimming is kinda fun isn't it? Too bad the clickers had to ruin it."

"Yeah, we'll have to come back here again another day." I responded.

"You mean it?" She piped up hopefully.

"Of course, I promised." An all to rare smile appeared on Ellie's face as we approached the town and went home.

That night Ellie passed out on the couch while reading. Sighing I picked her up and put her to bed. While I was carrying her a thought popped in my head. It was the memory of Ellie on her birthday looking up at me with pleading, tearing eyes begging "_Joel, don't ever leave me. Please._"

As I set her to bed and left the room I thought "_Baby girl, when you find out the truth you might actually leave me._"

**After sleepless nights, chugging Monster the chapter is finally done. Thank you very much for your kind words and follows. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. This is what keeps me writing. I'm going to try to keep a one chapter a week scheduale as I find that's the sweet spot between taking too long and rushing out an underdeveloped chapter. So, with that in mind, see you guys next week.**


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